Roads
by VC1
Summary: [slash J/D] Daniel wishes he could leave the SGC, someone gives him a way out. Feedback is appreciated. Chapter 2and 3 are now Chapter 2. THERE IS A NEW CHAPTER UP. Enjoy all.
1. Chapter One

Roads   


Roads 

Chapter One 

by VC **DISCLAIMER: They're not mine...blah blah...enjoy**

* * *

  
Daniel had felt a sudden lapse in commitment to the SGC. Things weren't working out. He kept telling himself they were, but they weren't. It seemed as though that stone ring in the mountain was sucking away at the rest of his life. He had already lost Sha're. He didn't have much more left. He couldn't bear thinking about what the next loss could be. He had been unbearably alone for so long and then he found himself with family again. First on Abydos, he had found a wife, a brother a father. For the first time he had kin. And then he came back without Sha're, dreading the loneliness he had left behind. But Jack, Sam and Teal'c had made him forget he was alone. They had given him a family. Sam had become the sister he'd never had. Teal'c had somehow managed to get past Daniel's hurt to give him a brother; a brother who always seemed to be looking out for him. And Jack? What had Jack given him? Jack was his best friend. He loved Jack. It was simple really. His best friend.   
  
If he loved this family so much, then why was he thinking about running as far away as possible from his life? Where was this emptiness coming from? It was as though he had a massive hole in the middle of his stomach. As though someone had shot him with a staff weapon and forgotten to mention it. It seemed that every morning he came into work expecting the biggest happiness of his life to descend on him and instead found evidence of how empty and lonely his life was. Some days he still felt as though today they would find Sha're. Jack had seen it. He had seen that look in Daniel's eyes as he would stare at the wormhole, so full of expectations and then the way his eyes would dull on remembering there was no one left to find. Except for the child. The child that Sha're had given birth to and left behind as a screaming reminder of Daniel's failure. In his heart, Daniel wasn't sure if he could ever face finding the child.   
  
-  
  
"Daniel!"   
Daniel jerked awake, glasses at awkward angle and bewildered expression on his face. He looked up to see Jack who had an amused look on his face.   
"Comfortable?" Jack said casually.   
"Yes. Very," Daniel replied dryly, trying not show his annoyance at Jack's amusement.   
"That's nice. What is it? Some kind of archaeologist fashion?" Jack pointed at Daniel's face.   
Daniel frowned.   
Jack broke out into a grin and reached towards Daniel's face and then gave a hard yank on the paper that was stuck to it.   
Daniel flinched at a slight sting on his face and then grabbed the paper that Jack was dangling in front of him, "Oh. Thanks."   
  
Daniel wearily got up and made his way to the sink.   
"So...whatcha doin...besides drooling all over your books," Jack followed behind.   
"I wasn't drooling," Daniel said flatly as he took off his glasses and handed them to Jack.   
Jack took the glasses and leant against the wall, "So...you planned anything for leave yet?"   
Daniel wiped his face and took the glasses, "Uh..."   
"Daniel?"   
Daniel put his glasses on and gave a peevish look.   
"I'm assuming it hasn't escaped your attention that we have leave in two weeks."   
"No, it hasn't," Daniel said obviously annoyed as he headed towards the coffee pot, "Why?"   
"No reason. Just wondering what you've got planned."   
Daniel tilted the pot towards Jack. Jack waved it away. Daniel filled his cup foregoing sugar and milk and went back to the table.   
"Actually, I was thinking about catching up with some stuff here. There's quite a...back...log...what? What? Why are you looking at me like that?" Daniel said noticing Jack rolling his eyes and then giving him a long hard stare.   
"I'm sorry. Did you just tell me you're spending your leave...here?"   
"Well...I"   
"That's what you said."   
"Jack," Daniel said his voice a warning not to start the old geek argument.   
"Daniel?" Jack mimicked.   
"Jack?" Daniel threw Jack an annoyed look.   
"Daniel?" Jack repeated provoking another annoyed look out of Daniel.   
  
"Lemme ask you something. Do you ever take leave of anything but your senses?"   
"Gee Jack. That's right up there with plant boy and flake in your witty repertoire. You sure you make this stuff up yourself?"   
Jack threw Daniel a dirty look, "My point, Daniel, is..."   
Daniel looked up from his book and gave his undivided attention, "What Jack? What is your point?"   
"Well...you should take a break. Kick back. Use the time to have a little fun. You know what fun is don't ya?"   
"Right. No, you're absolutely right. Fun. Oh, okay. I know. I'll visit my parents. No, wait. They're dead. I could always visit my foster parents..."   
"Daniel..."   
"No wait. They're dead too. I could always spend time with my wife."   
"Daniel?"   
"No...I forgot. She's also...dead. Right?"   
"Daniel?" Jack said softly.   
Daniel gave a small smile at the sad look on Jack's face. Jack stared back as if he could find the answers in Daniel's sad eyes.   
  
Jack sighed, "Wanna go fishing?"   
"With you?"   
"No...with Daffy Duck. Yeah, me."   
"Why? Sam turn you down?" Daniel smiled and went back to the book in front of him.   
"No. I haven't asked her. Yet."   
"Yet. Right. Well incase you do I'll say no. Three is a crowd."   
"I doubt that Carter's gonna be interested Daniel. She'll probably be doing something with Frasier and Cassie. Teal'c'll probably take the time to visit his kid, which leaves you...and me."   
"Right," Daniel said quietly.   
"Well?"   
"I dunno Jack. I'm not much of a fisherman."   
Jack frowned, "What's that got to do with fishing?"   
Daniel laughed, "I...have no idea."   
"Look, we'll talk about it when you come over. Think about it until then. Huckleberry Finn, hunkering down by a river, chilled beer. Hey, I'll even get you a straw hat," Jack grinned.   
"Sure," Daniel nodded, "I'll think about it."   
Jack smiled and nodded in triumph, "'Kay! Well...I'll see you later then. And Daniel?"   
"Yeah."   
"You were drooling."   
  
~  
  
Jack almost jumped when he heard the doorbell. He rolled his eyes at his jumpiness and muttered, "For cryin' out loud...he's your best friend, not your date. Get a grip Jack. And for God's sake...stop talking to yourself."   
  
Jack took a deep breath and headed towards the door, stopping briefly in front of the mirror to check himself out. On realizing exactly what he was doing, he rolled his eyes at the image in the mirror and then pointing at it he said, "Stop. That's an order."   
  
"Hey," Daniel said looking neat in his beige chinos and white shirt, as the door opened   
Jack smiled, "Dr Jackson."   
"Get you a beer?" Jack said as they made it to the living room.   
Daniel sat down on the couch, "Uh...got anything else?"   
"Sure...beer."   
"Oh, okay. I'll have a beer in that case."   
"Good choice," Jack said as he left for the kitchen.   
  
Daniel sunk into the couch feeling more at ease here than anywhere else. He still remembered the first night back from Abydos and how Jack and brought him home, like a stray that had been abandoned with nowhere to go. He hadn't even thought about it for a moment. He had simply brought him back and given him a home for as long as it took for Daniel to get back on his feet. Jack O'Neill was a good man. An officer and gentleman. Daniel smiled at the thought.   
  
"What's this? Taking a nap?" Jack's voice jolted Daniel awake.   
Daniel sat up and frowned, "Don't tell me I fell asleep," he said taking a beer from Jack.   
Jack headed towards the chair in front of the window, "'Fraid so. What's going on with you?"   
Daniel put the bottle on the coffee table, "I dunno. Just tired I guess."   
"Tired? This is like the fifth time I've caught you doing this. If I hadn't kicked you under the table, you would've fallen asleep in the briefing on Monday."   
Daniel grimaced at the memory, "Yeah."   
"So?"   
"So what?"   
"So...what's going on Daniel?"   
"Nothing. I told you. I'm just tired."   
"No. There's something else. Like today, when you blew up in your office. About your parents and Sha're."   
"Pop psyche 101?" Daniel throwing Jack's long used words at him.   
"Sure. Spill. Something's up. I can tell."   
  
Daniel sighed and leaned back as he took a long look at the neat living room. He never realized how spartan it seemed. A few personal belongings, but nothing that really said anything about the man that lived there. It was the total opposite of his apartment.   
"You're missing them. Right?" Jack said with alarming gentleness.   
Daniel turned to look at Jack, "No more than usual."   
"Then?"   
"Ah..." Daniel gave up and just smiled.   
"Come on Daniel...this is me."   
Daniel's face lost the smile and he reached for the beer taking a long swig.   
"I uh...I've been thinking about taking a little hiatus maybe."   
"Nothing wrong with that."   
"I was thinking maybe a year, maybe two..."   
"What?!"   
"Maybe for good."   
"WHAT!" Jack put his beer down and sat up, staring open mouthed.   
"Jack look..."   
"Why?"   
"I dunno...I...just need to get away."   
"Daniel? You opened that gate. That gate is your life's work. What do you intend to do instead of work for the SGC?"   
"I dunno. Find a dig. Write a thesis that won't get me laughed out of the academic community. Have a life that doesn't involve killing, dying or watching people die. A life that doesn't involve stupid military restrictions and...agendas."   
"Again...why?"   
"Why? I just told you why. I want to get some sense of normality back into my life."   
Jack shook his head, "Okay...you lost me."   
Daniel closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose as he desperately tried to think of an explanation. To be honest he himself didn't know why he wanted to leave.   
"It's like...like something's missing and the SGC just doesn't make up for it anymore."   
Jack's face scrunched up as he tried to figure out what Daniel was saying.   
"Missing? Daniel, let me remind you of your life prior to the SGC. You were being laughed at by people for something that turned out to be true. You figured out how to use a gate that transports us to new worlds. You helped kill Ra and free the people of Abydos..."   
"I caused Sha're's death. If we had never gone to that planet she probably would have married some decent guy, had a family and grown old. We killed Ra and made Earth a goa'uld magnet. We are party to the world's biggest secret. The world's biggest hope and the world's biggest enemy. Sometimes I just don't want to know anymore. I just want to be one of those people walking down the street with nothing more to worry about than paying the bills."   
  
Jack laughed and shook his head, "Right. Because it's that easy. Daniel...you'd be back in five minutes. You need that place more than it needs you."   
"That's probably true. I just need to figure it out for myself."   
"And what about that promise you made to Sha're? You said you'd find the kid. What about that?"   
Daniel looked away. He wouldn't be able to say he didn't care if Jack was looking at him. He knew there was no hope. He knew that looking for the Harsesis was a task greater than a needle in a haystack. It was near impossible.   
"Well? You just gonna back out on your promise?"   
"No. You'll still be there. Right?"   
"So you disappear and I find the kid," Jack said quietly, "What makes you so sure that I'll find him?"   
"Because you promised you'd find Sha're and Skaara and I believed you. And I know that even though you don't believe in the Harsesis, you'll try your best to find him," Daniel's voice was quiet and level, his eyes sincere, "I trust you with my life Jack."   
  
Jack nodded slowly, "And if I find him?"   
"When...you find him, maybe I'll drop by."   
"Maybe? Drop by? Gee, you sure you're not over investing there? Come on Daniel! This is Sha're's kid we're talkin about."   
Daniel felt a wave of emotion wash over him. He could see his innocent wife's dead face. He could also see the evil glow in her eyes. And he remembered her giving birth to Apophis's child. And against his better judgment he had felt so much anger as he held the child. Maybe the truth was he didn't want to find the Harsesis at all. Maybe this was the end of the line.   
"Sometimes...I wish I could take back every mistake I ever made," Daniel whispered as though he was far away.   
"We all do," Jack said as his mind conjured up his own demons.   
"Have you ever wondered Jack? What would've happened if we never opened that gate? What kind of lives we would have led? It would have been so different."   
"Yes. It would have been completely different. You'd still be getting laughed at and I..." Jack suddenly stopped.   
Daniel looked up, "What? You'd what?"   
"It doesn't matter. The point is, I like the way things are Daniel. I like having a job I love. I like going to it every day and seeing Carter. Seeing Teal'c. Seeing you."   
Daniel closed his eyes as his stomach lurched.   
"I like being a part of something and I know you do too. Look. This hiatus idea. Maybe it's a good idea. Maybe you should take off for a while. A few months maybe. But that's all. You're still getting over Sha're, you're confused. It happens. Believe me I know. Just don't do something you might regret."   
  
Daniel opened his eyes and stared at Jack. No wisecracks. No overbearing colonel attitude. Just Jack. If anything had kept him with the SGC this long it had been Jack. But he needed more. His life was beginning to feel unbearably empty. Friends weren't enough. New worlds weren't important if there was no one to come back home to. The always-empty apartment was like a dark blanket of despair that suffocated him every night. It seemed to feed off his loneliness. At least there had been a chance once of finding Sha're and having a home. The kind of home built on bonds and beating hearts and not out of cold hard bricks. If his fate was loneliness then he would a find a nice sandy dig to spend it. Not the SGC.   
  
"Tell me you'll think about this," Jack said gently.   
Daniel nodded and managed a small smile, "I'll think about it."   
Jack sighed with relief and leant back in the chair as though the situation had been resolved for good.   
"And besides, you can't leave, You'd miss us too much," Jack grinned.   
"You think so?"   
"Sure. I mean who wouldn't miss Teal'c's stories and jokes? You'll never find a chatterbox like him. And there's Carter with her love life. Once you're out of that loop you're out for good. And you'll miss out on all those drug freebies courtesy of Frasier. No more Prozac candy? And Hammond, you'll never find a boss as laid back and cool as that guy. Am I right or am I right?"   
Daniel laughed, something that made Jack's nerves settle even further. Daniel laughing was a good sign since it was rarer than a full eclipse.   
"Of course, I didn't consider all that," Daniel drank some more of his beer and then added quietly, "And what about you Jack? Will I miss anything about you?"   
  
Jack stared at his beer as he tried to unsuccessfully peel the label off. His face was unreadable as he quietly spoke, "I dunno Daniel," he looked up, "Would you miss anything about me?"   
Daniel knew the answer to that was everything. He'd miss the bad tempered salty remarks. He'd miss the dismissive attitude towards all things of cultural significance. He'd also miss how Jack could tell someone he cared with one look. He would miss that he had never had to doubt Jack, because he could see how much Jack cared about his friends. How could he forget sitting on the floor of the storeroom after trying to blow Jack's head off? How could he forget that raging pain and need he had felt for the sarcophagus? How could he forget the tough military colonel putting his arms around him and simply absorbing the grief he had felt? Jack was his best friend and he loved him. His heart broke just at the thought of separation.   
Daniel smiled at Jack, "No Jack, I wouldn't miss a thing," he said quietly.   
Jack laughed, his eyes sparkling and understanding the answer, "Geek."   
"Neantherdal."   
  
~  
  
Daniel had the letter of resignation in his pocket. He had thought about it all night. He had decided he would hand it to the general and then say his farewells. The night before had simply further helped in making up his mind. He couldn't see himself forging a life in the SGC. His parents had spent their young lives in digs chasing one hidden truth or another and they had ultimately left their child with no memories to cherish. They were respected academics, but their parenting wouldn't have won them any diplomas. Daniel wanted a life. Not an obsession. And that was what Sha're had left behind in the guise of the Harsesis child. An obsession.   
  
"Hey Daniel," Sam said rounding a corner.   
"Sam. Hi," Daniel gave a small smile.   
"You okay?" Sam frowned, gently cupping his shoulder.   
"Yeah, just tired I guess," Daniel said.   
"Hey listen, me and Janet were gonna have a drink after work but the colonel kind of invited himself. He said something about drunk chicks. Wanna join us? Teal'c's coming."   
Daniel thought about it for a second and realized it may be the ideal time to tell everyone about his intentions.   
"Yeah sure I'll..." Daniel was cut short as the klaxons blared to life. Sam and Daniel stood back and watched as armed personnel made their way to the gate room. "Guess we better check it out," Sam said.   
  
~  
  
"What happen?" Sam said entering the control room.   
"Bra'tac just came through with an injured Jaffa. Doctor Fraser's taking care of it right now," General Hammond said as he headed towards the stairs, "Teal'c's with them."   
"Did Bra'tac say what happen?" Daniel said following behind Sam.   
"No. I'm sure we'll find out soon enough. Whatever it is, I'm sure it's something we could do without."   
  
~  
  
Everyone was assembled in the gate room ready to go to Kheb and find the Harsesis child. Everyone except Daniel.   
Jack shook his head and sighed.   
"Sir I'll go take a look," Sam said.   
"No...no. You guys wait up. I'll be back with Daniel in five."   
Jack was ready to burst into the lockers and re-lecture Daniel on the virtues of punctuality when he saw Daniel sitting on the bench, dressed and ready, just staring at the floor. Jack decided maybe the sarcastic or shouting at top of his voice approach was something to avoid. Jack swung his gun over his hip and sat down next to Daniel. Daniel didn't look up.   
"I'm not sure what happen," Daniel said quietly.   
Jack nodded, "Maybe you're just a little scared that this might turn out to be a wild goose chase...or not."   
Daniel looked up at Jack and frowned, "Or not?"   
"If we find this kid...the Harsesis, he's carryin around all the knowledge of the goa'uld. That's gotta be a little scary."   
Daniel nodded. Jack was right. It was more than frightening.   
"Jack, he'll still be a baby. What are we going to do while we're waiting for him to grow up?"   
Jack shrugged and smiled, "Dunno. Teach him to play ball. Take him to the hockey playoffs. Cool stuff."   
Daniel's face fell, "Right. Is that before or after the NID come over take him out of our hands?"   
"Hammond wouldn't let that happen."   
"It's not always in his hands Jack. Even if they don't take him away, what kind of a life will he have growing up in a mountain?"   
"He doesn't have to grow up in the mountain. Cassie didn't."   
  
Daniel looked away. Jack could clearly see there was something Daniel wanted to say but couldn't. It didn't take a genius to figure out what.   
"You don't want to take care of him?" Jack said quietly.   
Daniel didn't answer.   
"Daniel?"   
"I don't know. It's not that I don't want to. I'm not sure if I could. What do I know about kids?"   
"Nothing. But then no one does until they have one."   
"Jack I..."   
"Daniel. It's okay. You don't have to go into this. There's time for this later."   
"I don't want you to think I'm ..."   
"I don't. It can't be easy for you to be looking for your wife's kid. For Apophis's kid. No one expects you to be a saint Daniel. You're human like the rest of us."   
Jack got up and placed his hand on Daniel's shoulder, "You'll be fine. Don't worry about it. Come on, let's go."   
  
~  
  
Bra'tac, Daniel and Jack were inside the temple as Sam and Teal'c walked around the grounds. It was a serene place. Sam couldn't figure out how the dead Jaffa had ended up in such a state. Nothing in their surroundings indicted that there was someone around capable of causing that kind of damage.   
"What do you think Teal'c?" Sam said walking past the entrance again. Teal'c turned and looked at her.   
"It is too early to say. But if this indeed is the Kheb that DanielJackson speaks of, the days of the goa'uld are small in number."   
"Yeah. I hope so. Plus...I think Daniel could do with some good news."   
Teal'c nodded slowly, "Yes. He has been quite subdued of late. He still mourns for Sha're."   
Sam could see a small flicker of guilt and pain on Teal'c's face as he mentioned Sha're's name. Everyone had been so concerned with Daniel coping with Sha're's death, no one had paid any thought to what Teal'c was going through. Especially with Teal'c's philosophy that he could deal with any trauma without anyones help. But Sam had seen the burden that Teal'c carried. Sometimes he physically looked as though he carried the weight of his guilt on his shoulders.   
"Teal'c?"   
"It is nothing," Teal'c said quietly.   
"He'll be fine Teal'c. Daniel's much stronger than he looks. You did what you had to do. And besides. He doesn't want help from us."   
"I do not understand."   
Sam sighed, "It's nothing. Just a hunch. Unfortunately it's a hunch you can't ask about and I'm not allowed to tell about."   
The corner of Teal'c's mouth went up in a small smile. Sam smiled back.   
"What?" Sam said intrigued.   
"Unfortunately MajorCarter it is something you can not ask me about, and I cannot speak of."   
"Oh man. I think the only two that haven't caught on to it are Colonel O'Neill and Daniel," Sam muttered and took another walk.   
  
~  
  
Daniel put the child back into his cradle. For a moment he had held the child and felt Sha're's presence again. He had been afraid of hating the child. But the hate never came. Perhaps when the monk had spoken about Daniel's hate killing the child, he had meant in more than one way. Without that hate he was able to see that the child would be safer with those that cared for him now. He thanked the alien and walked back through the wall only to come face to face with the monk. Daniel looked back at the wall and then at the monk.   
"There is no deception. We are more than one."   
Daniel nodded, "I guess me and my friends should go now."   
The monk gave a small bow of his head, "Your intention is to turn your back on the child forever?"   
Daniel looked back stunned, "No..."   
"The child is safe Daniel, but that is not a reason for you to run away."   
"What do you mean?"   
"When you see without eyes you see more than eyes can ever see. You feel your promise has been fulfilled and you will now hide from the choices of your life."   
Daniel stood, mouth open and unable to speak.   
"What do you run from Daniel?"   
"I don't know. All I know is I can't stay."   
"Then you run from yourself. From who you are."   
"Perhaps."   
"Your running will not undo that which is done."   
"I'm not trying to undo anything."   
"Your wish to forget stems from your need to undo that which has already happened."   
Daniel thought for a moment and then nodded, "Maybe there are choices I wish I'd never made."   
The monk smiled gently, his eyes glowing with a serene warmth, "Daniel...all roads lead to the ultimate end."   
Daniel frowned, "I don't believe that. Every choice you make creates another future. I've seen proof of it."   
The monk's smile didn't falter, "In every reality Daniel, all choices lead to an ultimate end. You can not escape it."   
"And uh...what do you know about other realities?"   
"I know nothing Daniel. I simply see what is there."   
"Right," Daniel smiled and nodded, "I have to go. Thank you for what you've done for the boy."   
Daniel started to walk away.   
"What if I were to show you?"   
Daniel stopped. He turned and looked at the monk, "Show me what?"   
"The road not traveled."   
"I don't understand."   
"What if I were to put time back into your hands? To undo the choices of the past."   
"How could you do that? That's not poss..."   
"Time means nothing to Oma Dasala. She is timeless. She is time."   
The monk walked up to Daniel so they only stood inches from each other.   
"Daniel...Do you still trust?"   
Daniel looked at the wall behind which he knew the Harsesis lay, "How can't I?"   
"Then...make your choices..." he said bringing his hand up to Daniel's forehead.   
  
His fingers touched Daniel's forehead like burning metal that was boring it's way into his skull. Daniel let out a cry of pain as he sank to his knees. His hands went up to grip the monks wrist as he tried to push the hand away. But he could do nothing. All he could do was witness the room slowly disappearing into white light. After a while he could do no more than succumb to the light as his senses faded and he dropped back on to the floor and into unconsciousness.   


**TBC**


	2. Chapter Two

Chapter Two

  
  
  
"Dr Jackson? Dr Jackson, can you hear me?"   
Daniel could vaguely make out voice, as if floating somewhere far down a tunnel. He willed his eyes to open, but everything in his body felt as though it was made of lead.  
"Dr. Jackson?"   
Daniel finally managed to open the heavy lids and look past them to see a bearded man hovering over him with a look of concern.   
"Are you okay Dr Jackson?" the man said as Daniel stared blankly.   
"Uh...yeah. Confused, but...okay," Daniel managed to sit up, "What happen?"   
  
The man helped Daniel up into a chair and handed him a bottle of water, which he drank in several gulps. Looking around Daniel suddenly realized that there was something strange about his immediate surroundings. It was a large room with lines of chairs facing a podium on which Daniel was now sat.   
"I think you should go down to the emergency room Dr Jackson, that was a very hard fall you took."   
"Fall," Daniel said absently reading the scribbles on the board behind them.   
"Yes. Just now? You hit your head on the lectern?"   
Daniel's heart suddenly froze at the realization, "I was giving a lecture..." Daniel said feeling lost.   
"They left Dr Jackson," the man said sympathetically.   
"Right. They left. I remember that."   
"Are you sure okay?"   
"I'm fine. Really," Daniel said getting up off the chair and walking towards the edge of the podium. The room spun. The lights went out.   
  
~  
  
It was a familiar feeling, lying in a hospital bed with that sterilized smell everywhere. Everything was beginning to clear up. Make sense. They were on Kheb. The monk had done something that made Daniel hallucinate, making him think he was back at that embarrassing lecture where they had all laughed and walked out.   
  
He knew where he was now. He was in the infirmary. In the SGC. Any minute now Jack would walk in with a smarmy comment on how Daniel was really clocking up some hours in the infirmary. Daniel squinted as the light began hurt less and the room came into focus.   
  
"What happen?" Daniel mumbled expecting Jack to launch into one of his 'Well Danny boy...'  
"What happen was that you didn't think hitting your head on the lectern was enough, you actually had to fall of the podium and give yourself a concussion. Good going Jackson," a deep lilting voice with a Texan accent said.   
Not the SGC. A very white room, with a window. Definitely not the SGC. And a man. A man who he knew was two inches taller than him and probably weighed less and had less than five percent body fat. Short jet-black tufty hair and healthy tanned skin with dark eyes and a sharp nose. A hawkish face that made it look as though he was always on the verge of smiling. Daniel stared in horror and what had to be a dream.   
  
"Casey?" Daniel managed to speak.   
"Uh...Daniel?" Casey smiled indulgently.   
"This isn't real," Daniel mumbled.   
"What isn't real?" Casey frowned.   
"You're dead. You died a year after I joined the project. This can't be real," Daniel continued to mumble.   
Casey looked down in concern, "I'm...gonna get the doctor, because you are talking some weird shit right there."   
"No!" Daniel grabbed Casey's arm. Casey stopped and stared, "Hey. What's with you?" he said gently.   
"I'm sorry," Daniel said.   
"About?"   
"That fight. I said some stupid stuff and I'm sorry. You have no idea how many times I wished I could say this."   
"Uh...Dan? We had that fight like three days ago. You're makin' it sound like years."   
"I just have to say this, incase this is all...I just need you to know that's all."   
"Okay...you're freakin' me out. I'm getting the doctor," Casey patted Daniel's hand and gently removed it before disappearing.   
  
Daniel pulled himself up in the bed. Not the SGC. A hospital room. A hospital room in which a long dead friend was walking around like nothing had happened. Daniel touched the bandage on his forehead, surprised when he felt long strands of hair hanging down. This had to be some kind of hallucination. This wasn't the first time Daniel had experienced a false reality.   
  
"Dr Jackson?" the voice startled Daniel.   
He looked around to see a young slender oriental doctor. A very familiar young oriental doctor. One that had entered the room without ever having made a sound or being seen.   
  
He smiled at Daniel went to the foot of the bed to read the clipboard. Finishing, he then came up to Daniel and took his small torch out. Smiling down at Daniel he pointed the torch in one eye and then the other. Daniel grabbed his wrist.   
"You did this?"   
"It is as Oma desires," he said in that serene voice as he put the torch away.   
"Oma sent me back in time? Why?"   
"You are a scholar who wishes to learn. Oma is a teacher that wishes to teach. This is the lesson."   
"Why?"   
"All roads converge into one. The destination is ultimate. You must see this."   
"But..."   
"Hey."   
  
Daniel looked at the doorway where Casey stood. When Daniel looked back to his side, the monk was gone. It didn't surprise Daniel.   
"Doctor'll be hear in a sec. How you doin'?" Casey sat down on the edge of the bed.   
"Fine," Daniel nodded.   
"Yeah?"   
Daniel nodded again, as the implications of a second chance began to sink in, "Yes. I am."   
  
~  
  
Daniel was awoken by whispered protestations outside the room. The hushed but heated conversation was taking place between a mixture of male and female voices. Daniel strained to hear but only caught a word here and there. Authorization and government business being the most important. Then his door opened and a man in uniform walked in. A man in a USAF uniform. He stood by the doorframe as a woman walked in and the door was closed from the outside and blocked by another presence. Daniel recognized the woman even in the dark of the room. Catherine.  
  
She brought the chair close and sat down, placing a file on her lap.   
"I hope you are feeling better after this afternoon," she said offering an amused smile.   
"I've been better," Daniel said cautiously.   
"Jackson. These your parents?" she pulled a picture from the file and held it where Daniel could see it. He wondered why he didn't have a copy of the picture.   
"Foster parents," Daniel replied.   
Catherine put the photograph back and looked at Daniel as though she expected a question. Daniel didn't ask it.   
  
"I have a job for you," she said looking back through the folder. Daniel still didn't answer. Intrigued, Catherine looked up.   
"Translation. Egyptian hieroglyphs. Interested?"   
Daniel remembered his initial response. At the time he had thought it a joke of some kind. He hadn't even imagined what would happen to him as a result of accepting.   
"I have other plans," Daniel said.   
"Like what? I mean you've just been evicted from your own apartment. Your grants have run out. You're lying here in a hospital bed and you were laughed at, at your own lecture. Want to prove that your theories are right? This is your chance," she placed the travel plans on his stomach.   
  
Daniel looked at Catherine and smiled, "Actually...thank you but no thanks."  
Catherine smiled plainly amused, "Dr Jackson, I just witnessed the debacle that was your lecture. There wasn't a single person in there took you seriously. They were laughing at you. You have no job, you have no home. I'm offering you both and a chance to see your work come to fruition. Doesn't that interest you in the slightest."   
"I'm down on my luck right now, and this seems like a great opportunity, but it's a mistake. I'll get back up. I can find a job, find a home. So thank you for your offer, but I respectfully decline. Good luck with...whatever it is and I hope you find someone else that can do the job."  
Catherine smiled and nodded, "Very well. I can't say I wouldn't have liked to work with you. But if that's what you want. Good luck Dr Jackson. You'll be needing it," Catherine got up from the chair, and tapped the ticket on Daniel's stomach, "I'll leave these here, incase you change your mind. Think about it."   
  
Daniel watched as the officer opened the door and then followed her out. The door closed. Daniel picked up the small paper pouch she Catherine had left. He had a choice now. Either tomorrow morning he could get on a plane and open that gate. Or either he could see the life he would have had if Abydos never happened. Why had the choice not seemed harder before?   



	3. Chapter 3

Roads 

Roads

Chapter Three 

by VC **AUTHOR NOTES: **Just wanted to make a few thankyous. First and most of all to Pettygrew who filled in as beta in Danvers absence. You did an excellent job, thanks so much. Second to Danvers for laying this fic in my lap and for intial beta services (hope you don't take up being a goat as your new profession ;)). Finally to everyone reading. I had no idea this fic would be so liked, so thanks for reading and reviewing guys. Really appreciate it. Hope you'll like this next chapter too. As always, comments are totally appreciated. 

* * *

//Three Months Later//  
  
Finding a new job hadn't been easy. It meant the lowering of a few standards and the pretense that he had lost faith in his new age fantasies about aliens being responsible for the Pyramids of Giza. The job he finally found wasn't much in comparison to working for the SGC. It was a teaching post with an emphasis on Wallace Budge as god and anything alternative as heresy. Daniel had swallowed his pride and accepted. He had been given a new chance and ignoring the urge to shout 'ALIENS DID BUILD THE PYRAMIDS' was a small price to pay. Even if didn't feel that way.   
  
Daniel had the security of a new job. His savings still remained untouched. Now he needed a new apartment. Not that Casey minded Daniel staying forever.   
  
"I told you Dan... marry me. You'll be set for life. Come on, who wouldn't want to be the significant other of an attractive, well-hung doctor. Hey, if I wasn't me, I'd definitely want me," Casey shouted from the kitchen.   
"You do want you. In fact, being you hasn't stopped you from wanting you in the least," Daniel said as he circled another ad in the paper.   
Casey came into the room and sat down at the table, "God, you're such a smooth talker," he grinned.   
Daniel sighed and looked up, "I can't believe the money some people are asking for. It's extortion. I'd be better off if I dug a hole somewhere."   
"That's an archeologist thing right?" Casey frowned in thought, "Although...it could be a gay thing too."   
"This isn't a joking matter," Daniel mumbled as he turned the page of his paper.   
"Your fixations with holes or..."   
"Casey..." Daniel snapped.   
"O-kay. Sorry. Jeez, have you always been this pissy?"   
Daniel closed his eyes and ran his fingers through his hair.   
  
"Dan? You okay? You've been different since that lecture. It's not like you to give up on things. I thought all this stuff about the pyramids was a big deal."   
"It was," Daniel mumbled, "It is."   
"So what happened?" Daniel shrugged, "Guess I just didn't want to do it anymore."   
"Just like that."   
"You wouldn't understand."   
"Is this about Nick? You worried you're going to..." Casey stopped when he saw the shocked look on Daniel's face, "What? What'd I say?"   
"Uh...Nick. I never thought about...god," Daniel got up from the table.   
Casey got up and moved to Daniel's side, holding his elbow, "Dan, you're kinda freakin' me out here."   
"I..." Daniel closed his eyes to get a grip on himself, "I'm okay. I just realized something."   
"What?"   
" Nick and I had another stupid argument. He told not me to come back. I didn't go back," Daniel said absently.   
"When was this? Why didn't you tell me?"   
"It was before the lecture...I...didn't have the chance to tell you."   
Casey looked at Daniel. He looked slightly edgy and shaken. Casey maneuvered him to the couch, pushed him down, and then fell down next to him.   
"You...have been acting really weird...and I mean weird as in even weird for you."   
"I'm okay. Really," Daniel put his feet up on the coffee table.   
"Hey, here's an idea. Why don't you move in to the house Nick gave you? It's still empty right?"   
  
Daniel thought for a moment. It was a great house. His mother grew up in that house. Probably, the only place that possessed any real sense of belonging for him. Nick gave it to him just months before having himself committed to the mental hospital. At the time, Daniel remembered how it seemed more like an act on Nick's part of purging himself of the guilt for not being there all those years. Daniel quite coldly remarked that giving someone a house did not miraculously bring back a life spent without those who should have cared for him. He loved his foster parents, but he spent a lot of time wanting his real grandfather to come and talk to him. To tell him things about his parents so he wouldn't forget them. Giving him the house seemed nothing more than an empty gesture.   
But, things were different now. He could make up on that time instead of spending it stewing over his grandfather's fixation with supposed big giant aliens. After the things he had seen, who was he to judge? For all he knew, the Goa'uld could have had something do with the giant aliens his grandfather was obsessed with.  


~

  
  
Nick sat stubbornly staring at the young man in front. Blue eyes would meet blue eyes every now and then only to avert each other. They did this little dance a lot. The routine was to regularly offend each other and then dance around the apology. But, no one ever apologized. Daniel had come to see Nick as unwavering in his stubbornness. But then, he himself possessed some of that stubbornness.   
"Did you give your lecture?" Nick asked grumpily.   
"Uh...yes. Yes I did," Daniel looked up at Nick's scrutinizing eyes.   
"I am guessing they did not applaud your ideas," Nick said.   
Daniel gave a tight smile, "Um...no. I'm not really sure what they thought...there was an early lunch break or something..."   
Nick laughed, "Daniel. You can spend your whole life persuading people. They will not believe you. Especially, when you use the word alien."   
"Actually, I never used the word alien to my recollection. My theories are that the pyramids were built by people other than those the traditionalists think built them. And, that they're perhaps much older than we think. There was no mention of the word aliens."   
"So you are saying that it was not aliens?"   
Daniel frowned, "No...that's not what I'm saying."   
"It's all useless Daniel. I spent my whole life trying to find something that never existed. It will bring you nothing but unhappiness," Nick said sadly.   
  
Daniel looked hard and long at Nick. He looked so defeated. This man had traveled the world and been at the center of many significant finds. He was a respected pioneer. And here he sat now unable to even believe in himself, let alone anything else.   
"I did not think you would come back again," Nick looked at the floor.   
"You did say you didn't want to see me again. You kicked me out as I recall Nick," Daniel couldn't help but not keep the bitterness out.   
"Then why did you come back?" Nick said with a sad smile.   
Daniel sighed, "I came back because...you were right. I should forget all this aliens and pyramids business. It's time to get on with my life and I didn't want to be sitting somewhere four years from now regretting not having the courage to come back and work things out."   
Nick looked at the earnest look on Daniel's face, "Are things worth working out?"   
Daniel smiled sadly, "Nick, you're the only family I have. I'm the only family you have. What do you think?"   
  
Nick nodded and smiled. So much time wasted. He had never seen that inquisitive little boy grow up into the man that sat in front of him. Yet there he was the only living reminder of his daughter. So much time wasted .   
"I am sorry," Nick finally said after a long silence.   
"For what?"   
"For not adopting you when your parents died," Nick searched Daniel's eyes for a response.   
Daniel shrugged, "You were traveling all over the world."  
"It wasn't your fault."   
Daniel frowned, "I was 8 years old how could it be my fault..."   
"I am sorry for allowing my obsession to drive me...to madness. Would you forgive me?"   
Daniel stared. This was unexpected. There were no apologies. There were never apologies. Especially from Nick.   
"For...give you?" Daniel barely avoided a stammer.   
"For not being there when I should have. I was wrong Daniel."   
"Daniel?" Nick said slightly more desperate when Daniel didn't answer, "I cannot bring those years back, but the few years I have left, I want to know you don't hate me."   
"I don't," Daniel said straight away, "I never hated you. Things don't work out sometimes. It's life."   
"If I could go back and change things Daniel..."   
"I know," Daniel said realizing exactly how much of Nick was in him, "It's okay."   
"Perhaps we can still salvage something of this. What do you say Daniel?" Nick said looking fondly at his grandson.   
Daniel nodded smiling, "I'm sure of it. Actually...Nick? I have a little proposition."   
  


~

  
  
The move wasn't difficult. Most of Daniel's things had lain in storage since being evicted from his apartment. These were mostly boxes of books and a few artifacts he had picked up over the years. The boxes were now laying in the middle of the living room of Daniel's new home. A suburban house that still had the lingering elements of the décor of his grandparent's era. Dark wooden flooring and furniture. Deep rich rugs. It was all very plush. The way his grandmother had wanted according to Nick. The house was littered with artifacts that belonged to Nick and Daniel's grandmother. There were even some items that belonged to his parents. Things that Daniel inherited but never took charge of.   
  
"Here, it's the last one," Casey placed another large cardboard box on the coffee table.   
Daniel looked up from the box he was sifting through, "Oh. Great, thanks."   
Casey took a deep breath and then fell face first on the couch with a large groan.   
Daniel smiled at the overacting and attention seeking friend of his, "Tired?"   
"Beat. What d'you have in those boxes anyway? Rocks?"   
Daniel frowned as a flash from fleeting memories appeared, "Artifacts," he said quietly, "they're called artifacts."   
Casey turned over and stretched, "Hey, this is a great place Dan."   
Daniel put his book down and went to sit on the arm of the couch, "It is. I can't remember ever being here before, but I feel like I have been. Feels good."   
"Yeah? Well, I'm glad it worked out, even if it means you turning your back on me and leaving me in that cold lonely apartment on my own," Casey sighed dramatically.   
"Alone? I don't think so. You get more traffic through there than the world's busiest airports."   
Casey grinned and threw a cushion at Daniel. Daniel caught it and stuffed it into the corner. Casey sat up and pulled Daniel on the couch next to him.   
"You know, it was kind of nice having you around. I'm gonna miss the smell of coffee all over my place."   
"I'm moving out Casey, I'm not moving to a different planet," Daniel leaned back and looked at Casey who was being uncharacteristically soft.   
"I dunno. Been feeling weird since you took that nose-dive at your lecture. Remember that argument we had? I was sure we wouldn't see each other again. It was like this really weird feeling. Then I got a call from the hospital and there you were looking as though you'd dropped from the sky or somethin'. It felt so..."   
"Weird..." Daniel said.   
Casey nodded, "Yeah...weird."   
  
They both sat silently for a while, just staring ahead. Casey was still pondering the sudden change in Daniel. They had met through a mutual friend and almost had a fling. But things somehow never progressed further than friendship. Eventually, the mutual friend disappeared, but he and Daniel had remained ever close. If there was one thing Casey was sure of about Daniel, it was the fact that his theories on the pyramids meant everything to him. All his time was invested finding the answers. And, he knew no one cared for his answers. He knew the academia world ridiculed him behind his back, but he didn't care. He had something to believe in and that was a whole lot more than what a lot of other people had.   
  
As for Daniel. He sat there thinking about the turn of events in his life. He was beginning to wonder if the Stargate had ever happened. If Jack, Sam, Teal'c, and Sha're had ever existed. He wondered if it wasn't just a dream. Some elaborate dream that arose from his own desires. What he knew for sure was that he wanted to see where his life would go from here. He and Casey were talking. He and Nick were talking. He had a steady job and now a place to live. Everything was on the up. Wasn't it? This was what he wanted wasn't it? If it was, then why was he constantly dreaming of the long corridors of the SGC. Of the Stargate coming to life. The wormhole like a long tunnel of noise. And Jack. Jack strolling down a corridor. Jack grinning at his own jokes. Jack in the utility room holding him as he suffered the effects of withdrawal. It was all gone. By his choice. It may have been painful, but at least it wasn't as painful as carrying around Sha're's death.   
  
"Hey," Casey nudged Daniel, "You're doing it again."   
"Doing what?"   
"Day dreaming."   
"Oh. Yeah. Sorry."   
Casey smiled at Daniel and got up, "I'm going."   
"Oh...do you have to? Stick around a while," Daniel got up after Casey.   
"Got things to take care of. Going out tonight," he grinned.   
Daniel smiled, "Right."   
"Hey, I got an idea. Why don't you come along?"   
Daniel shrugged, "I dunno Casey, I'm not into bars and stuff."   
"Oh come on! I know you. You'll be full of 'we'll do lunch' and let's have a drink and then you'll forget. Hey you owe me buddy. I'm picking you up tonight. You better be ready," Casey gave Daniel a gentle poke in the chest.   
Daniel followed Casey to the door still protesting, "Casey...."   
"I don't care, I'm coming. If you're not ready I'm gonna sit there reading one of your boring books and make you feel bad for me," Casey said smiling ear to ear as he reached the door. He put his hand out to open but was suddenly stopped. Daniel had his hand on Casey's arm and slowly pulled him around. Casey frowned, surprised. Daniel was staring at him so earnestly. It still wasn't the look Casey hoped to see, but it was wonderful to behold all the same.   
"What?" Casey said softly.  
Daniel stepped forward and slung his arm over Casey's shoulder, holding him in a tight warm embrace. He pulled away and patted Casey's shoulder.   
"Okay...what was that?" Casey absently stroked the gray material of Daniel's t-shirt.   
Daniel didn't know what to say. How was he meant to explain that he was reveling in the fact that his best friend was alive and well and right there in front of him.   
"I'm glad...I'm just glad I guess," Daniel said laughing.   
Casey nodded, "Okay he said quietly. Maybe there's hope for us then."   
Daniel shrugged. He had never seen Casey in the way he knew Casey saw him. But he loved him, that much he was sure of.   
Casey saw Daniel's brain was ticking over again and analyzing every aspect of existence. He leaned forward and gently kissed Daniel. He could feel Daniel smiling against his lips as Casey hooked his fingers behind Daniel's back. He pulled away and saw the smile.   
"I'm gonna get to you Dan, you'll see," Casey said quietly.   
Daniel nodded, "I hope so."   
  
The door opened and they both pulled apart. Nick walked in with a newspaper in one hand a brown paper bag in the other.   
"Hey Nick," Daniel said accepting the paper bag.   
Nick eyed both men standing there closely and looking like guilty schoolboys. Nick gave a small chuckle and walked off towards the kitchen muttering something.   
"What did he say?" Casey whispered.   
Slightly blushing Daniel looked at Casey, "He said, carry on, carry on."   
"Huh! Waddya know, the old are wise. Maybe we should take his advice," Casey said nonetheless breaking away and making for the door, "What's in the bag?"   
Daniel held it up, "Oh. Columbian."   
Casey opened the door and laughed, "Yeah, figures. Be ready Dan, I'll be by at eight."   
Daniel sighed in answer and nodded.   
  
Nick was seated at the kitchen table with the paper open in front of him when Daniel came in.   
"So, you took your time," Daniel set about making the coffee.   
Nick looked up from the paper with a satisfied smile on his face, "I was reacquainting myself with the neighborhood. It has been a long time. I was remembering the place your grandmother and I used to walk. It is as if she is still there."   
Daniel nodded, he himself had no memory of this grandmother or much else in terms of family, but it felt good to hear Nick speak of these things. It was like the pieces of the puzzle were beginning to complete.   
"How are you liking it here Daniel?" Nick said.   
"Um...well, a lot actually."   
"Who do you think will be angry first and leave?"   
Daniel laughed, "I'm guessing you since you're temper is something I didn't inherit."   
Nick laughed. Daniel forgot about the dreams for a moment and enjoyed the moment of having family once again. In his experience, you never knew how long happiness lasted.   


~

  
They were heading to the bar and Casey was still in a huff. He hadn't been too pleased on seeing Daniel's idea of attire. He didn't look as though he was ready for a night out. He looked as though as he was off to give a lecture in his tweedy looking jacket and dark blue shirt. The only thing redeeming him at this point were the black jeans. Casey had suggested that Daniel complete the ensemble with a pair of corduroy pants. From that point on he had just kept up the complaining. One of the more stinging barbs had been, "No wonder you're not having sex if you're gonna dress like that. It's a bar Dan, not a lecture theatre."   
Daniel had listened quietly and smiled. It was Casey being Casey. He knew he wouldn't be going home alone, so he was pissed that Daniel had dressed to repel.   
  
It was a surreal experience being with his once dead friend. They had never made up after the fight and the next thing Daniel knew he was working for the SGC and through the friend of a friend, somehow the message of Casey's death had reached him. It had been shortly before his experience with the sarcophagus. The sarcophagus had relieved him of many things for a while. He had felt as though he belonged there, where the healing was. There was nothing for him on earth now that Casey was dead. When the withdrawal made him insane with need, and Jack so easily stepped in to hold him together, it was Casey he was crying for. It wasn't just the need for the sarcophagus, it was a million things. He needed his life back. He needed Sha're. He needed Casey to forgive him. He needed to feel home. Funny how he couldn't think of the word "home" now without thinking of Jack.   
  
They arrived at the bar and Casey instantly began to mingle. Daniel sat with his drink unable to shake off his musings. Where was Jack now? What was Jack doing? What if Jack had taken the gun that killed Charlie and used it on himself? Daniel had never considered that before. He got up quickly to make a run for the nearest phone when a voice jerked him back on to his stool.   
"Another drink?"   
Daniel stared at the bartender. He was young, slim and...oriental. He stood smiling and cleaning a glass. No one seemed to be paying him attention.   
"You..." Daniel said in quiet awe.   
"Another drink?" he said again in that quiet lulling voice of his. Daniel was further amazed that he could even hear it above the din of the music and crowd, but his voice was as clear as bell. It was as though there was no one else there.   
"No thanks," Daniel said playing along.   
"You're not leaving already are you?"   
"Um...it's not really my scene," Daniel said watching the other man carefully.   
"You are worried?"   
"You know I am. It's why you're here...right?"   
The bartender smiled that gentle knowing smile, "The unknown is frightening, that is why it is the unknown. This is your life Daniel, you must live it. How the others live their lives, that is their path to choose."   
Daniel sighed. He knew the man was right, but he also knew that opening that gate had changed more lives than just his. He had opened it and effectively changed the lives of many. How could he not hold himself responsible for all the things that went wrong because of him?   
"Man can only act with good intention Daniel, you can not live others lives for them."   
"But what if something you do gives someone their life back?"   
The bartender smiled, "That is the life you wished to leave behind. This is your life now."   
Daniel stared at his empty glass, missing Jack with a newfound fervor. He hadn't anticipated this.   
"You can not feel the absence of which you have never experienced. The friends you pine for have nothing to do with you. This is the life you wished for. Learn what Oma teaches."   
Daniel began to say something but was stopped when a hand touched his shoulder. Daniel turned to face tall man with dark hair. His unnatural tan made him look like a Baywatch extra.   
"Can I buy you a drink?" he shouted over the din.   
Daniel turned around and saw the bartender (as he expected) was gone. He turned back.   
"Um...actually no. I'm about to leave."   
"Come on, one drink," the guy smiled a set of bright white teeth.   
"No thanks," Daniel swiftly got up and brushed past the man and headed away from the bar to find Casey.   
  


~

  
  
Casey had rolled his eyes when Daniel had told him that he was going home, but his early departure wasn't unexpected. Actually it was quite typical.   
  
After leaving the bar, Daniel just walked around for a while thinking about the same thoughts over and over again. The thought of never seeing his friends. Never meeting Sha're. Never visiting other planets. It all sounded so bleak. But this way, Sha're could never die. Apophis could never do what he did too her. Of all the regrets in his life, the biggest was the turn that Sha're's life had taken. It was all his fault. If he had never opened the gate, she would still be alive.   
  
"Please! Help me!"   
Daniel stopped walking and looked for the source of the woman's scream. He saw the small alleyway behind him and instantly started to walk towards it. It never occurred to him for a moment that he wasn't surrounded by three trained soldiers who would have their weapons pointed in anticipation of trouble.   
"Hello?" Daniel called out as he walked down the alley.   
"Please help me," the voice came from a woman lying on the ground in a heap, clutching her stomach. Daniel quickly rushed over and was by her side in a second.   
"What's wrong?" Daniel laid a hand on her shoulder. The woman turned over on to her back and smiled. Daniel frowned at her.   
Before Daniel could say anything, he felt something hard hit the back of his head. The world tilted and he fell on to the recently rained on ground. A sharp kick was deposited to his side and then he was roughly grabbed and thrown against the wall. If it weren't for the two pairs of hands holding him up he probably would have fallen straight to the ground again. He realized what was happening when the third man began to rummage through his pockets.   
"You could have just asked," Daniel said out of breath.   
The youth was not impressed and looked at Daniel with complete malice and thought nothing of throwing a punch at the face followed by one to the mid-section. Daniel started to cough as the attacker continued his rummaging.   
"Alex, let's go. We got his wallet," the woman spoke from somewhere behind them.   
Daniel had lost his glasses from the first blow to the head, but could still see the switchblade as the man brought it forward.   
"That all you got?" the man spoke with no real emotion.   
Unable to answer Daniel just nodded.   
"Run out of funny stuff to say?" the man's voice was low and threatening.   
Daniel looked up at the fuzzy face in front, "Yeah. I left my...joke book...at home."   
The man started to laugh and brought the knife to Daniel's throat, "You're more stupid than you look."   
"Alex! What are you doing?" the woman said nervously.   
"Still feel funny?" the man growled in Daniel's face.   
"You've got what you want, there's no need for this," Daniel tried to sound as calm as possible.   
"And what if I don't agree?" the man countered.   
"Then I fill you full of holes," another far away voice said.   
The man with the knife turned sharply to look at the source of the voice. In the process, his knife cut slightly into Daniel's skin.   
"How about you give the man his wallet back and take off. I'll pretend I didn't see anything. Stay, and you won't be standing for long."   
The attacker looked at the man at the end of the alley. He was standing in the shadows and it was hard to tell if he really was holding a gun.   
"Yeah? I say you're bluffing," the attacker said, his hold on the front of Daniel's shirt tightening.   
The man stepped out of the shadow and under the small light on the wall. The gun became as clear as day, and it was pointed right at the attacker.   
"I'm a crack shot kid, don't tempt me," the man sounding serious.   
"Alex, let's go," the woman said.   
"Let's go Alex, forget this man," the man to Daniel's left said, his grip loosening.   
The attacker let go of Daniel and his girlfriend threw the things they had taken on to the ground. Then as quickly, but not quick enough to display fear, they walked down towards the other end of the alley, two of them sniggering, the girl quiet and Alex throwing a final malicious look as they left.   
  
Daniel slumped against the wall, a small groan escaping from his mouth. He could hear the man running down the alley towards him.   
"You okay?" the man came to stand in front, his hand on Daniel's shoulder.   
"Um...I'm fine. I'm good," Daniel said just before everything seemed to spin and he fell towards the ground. The man grabbed Daniel from under the arms and shoved him back against the wall.   
"Good, huh?" the man said laconically.   
Daniel opened his mouth to speak but gave up when everything suddenly turned black and consciousness completely slipped. 

**TBC**

  



End file.
